Terrapax
Terrapax is a large ravasaur formerly owned by Emma Hoff. While he is still untamed, he is undergoing taming sessions under the command of his 'alpha,' a sixteen year old girl named Rin Tigerheart. Description Appearance Terrapax is depicted as a theropod dinosaur that resembles an Allosaurus with the trademark 'killing claws' of a raptor. His scales are an earthen brown with black, V-shaped stripes and a tan underside. Yellow-orange quills decorate the back of his neck, his forearms, his chin, and his tail, which can be rattled for communication or intimidation. Terrapax's hands, unlike raptors or Allosaurus, have four fingers, rather than the usual three. On the end of his snout is a scimitar-shaped horn which can be used like a blade. Terrapax's eyes are a ghostly emerald with slit-shaped pupils. His hide is also littered with scars both old and new. Terrapax uses the Red Primal Raptor model in-game. Personality Terrapax is not as intelligent as people are, but he is still intelligent nonetheless. He is capable of showing emotions, even mimicking facial expressions at times. Terrapax also suffers from PTSD since his capture, indicated by his defensive behavior around guns. He is also set off by gun shots, which seem to make the beast go into a panicked frenzy. Behavior Terrapax's behavior is based on several creatures other than dinosaurs, including crocodiles, cats, dogs, snakes, and birds. He also shows high intelligence, indicated by his understanding of Common language, self-recognition, and on rare occasions, he will mimic speech (albeit poorly). He seems to care for others, especially other raptors and ravasaurs, offering them portions of his meals or giving gifts to friends and allies in the form of regurgitated animal remains. Communication Terrapax, like any other raptor, uses a wide span of vocalizations to commune with others, including barks, roars, screeches, hisses, yaps, clicks, snorts, and at times, the animal can even mimic speech, although in this case, he has no clue what he is actually saying. History Pre-Capture Before his departure from Un'goro, Terrapax was a ruthless and feared individual of the ravasaurs. Considered an outcast and a rogue by his kin, the raptor was a nomad, roaming the jungles of the crater he had called his home, and eventually, his hunting grounds. While he was no Oondasta, Terrapax is estimated to have wiped out three competing ravasaur packs himself by killing their alphas; it is unknown if the lesser pack members were in his rule, but it is most likely that they were either left for dead or hunted for food by the brown beast; this lifestyle continued for five years. Capture When the Cenarion Circle surveyed Un'goro, they were shocked to find that several of Un'goro's species were declining in numbers at a rather disturbing rate. Another year passed, which is when the Circle discovered that the reasoning behind the population drop was none other than Terrapax. Considered to be a threat to the ecosystem, the Cenarion Circle expedition in Un'goro were faced with a very tense debate. The Nesingwary Expedition caught wind of the ravasaur's damage as well; with no other options, the Cenarion Circle hesitantly hired an elite team of Nesingwary trappers, trackers, and hunters to capture Terrapax alive. This was easier said than done. The two-week hunting trip turned into a month of living hell. "...I sat up in my cot, only to see my tent partner was missing. His side of the tent was a mess, and I knew that this fellow was a neat lad. The next morning, we found his shotgun, which was still in the grasp of his severed arm. It was a mess. The skin was covered in bite marks that had caused some nasty infections. We never found the rest of him." --A journal found by Terrapax's den after his capture. Of the forty men sent to capture Terrapax, only sixteen returned alive, with the rest either missing or dead. Terrapax had been captured by the expedition. Before they could finally put him down, a young woman by the name of "Emma Hoff" bargained with the hunters to let her keep him for study. After sums of gold payments, they agreed, and thus began Emma's friendship with Terrapax Image Gallery TerrapaxWoW.png|The image that started it all. TerrapaxArt.png|Terrapax in a more realistic style. Trollapax.jpg|Bonus image! Trivia *Terrapax is a combination of two Latin words, terra (earth) and rapax (predator), respectively. This refers to the earthen color of the animal's scaly hide. Category:Animals Category:Characters